Mumbai: Claims by Pakistani gunman Ajmal
Kasab about police torturing him and making him confess under
duress are false and part of his strategy to escape from the
clutches of law, the prosecution told a special court on Wednesday.
Kasab is a LeT operative and had been sufficiently
trained to mislead the court, Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam
contended in final arguments before Judge M L Tahaliyani in
the 26/11 attack case.
Nikam was responding to Kasab`s allegations in the
court earlier that his confession was not voluntary and taken
under duress as he was tortured in police custody. He had also
alleged that magistrate Sawant Wagale had not read out the
confession to him after it was recorded in February last year.
Nikam, on the sixth day of arguments, submitted that
Kasab had retracted his confession after a considerable delay
on April 17 after consulting his lawyer. The retraction was
well planned and an after-thought. In the eyes of law such
delayed retraction had no value, he stated.
The prosecutor argued that the gunman or his lawyer
had not cross-examined the magistrate in the wake of
allegation that his signature was obtained forcibly. Also, the
defence lawyer had not cross-examined Investigating Officer
Ramesh Mahale in regard to charge that Kasab was tortured.
Kasab was sitting in the dock with his head covered
with a handkerchief.
PTI
